Method and System for Controlling Functionality of Lighting Devices

ABSTRACT

A lighting device control system for controlling one or more lighting devices includes a first lighting device comprising an optical radiation source, and a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device includes a processor, a user interface, and a memory device. The memory device includes programming instructions to cause the processor of the portable electronic device to: cause the user interface to output a plurality of candidate optical characteristics for the optical radiation source and a user-selectable setting for at least some of the candidate optical characteristics, receive a selection of at least one of the candidate optical characteristics and an associated setting for each of the selected optical characteristics, generate a light operation request that comprises each of the one or more selected optical characteristics and its associated setting and an account identifier, and transmit the light operation request to the first lighting device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/786,282, filed Oct. 17, 2017, the disclosurewhich is fully incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Modern lighting systems include many features that were not previouslyavailable to facility operators and users. For example, lighting systemsthat include light emitting diode (LED) luminaires or other types ofluminaires may offer features such as: controllable dimming; colorselection and color tuning; adjustment of other characteristics ofemitted light such as color temperature or D_(uv) control of the shapeand/or direction of emitted light beams; and pre-programmed scenes orcustomized scenes that incorporate a set of pre-programmed features.

In facilities such as theaters, concert venues, sports fields andstadiums, and even in commercial buildings, the lighting needs canchange frequently depending on who is using the facility at any giventime. For example, a venue may be used for a convention or businessmeeting during the day and a concert or social event in the evening. Asports field may be used for a football or soccer game at one time ofday and a lacrosse team practice at another time of day. However,lighting systems do not easily adapt to the needs of each user andevent. Instead, lighting systems are typically set in a “fully on” or“fully off” arrangement unless the facility is staffed with technicianswho can manually change the lighting system scenarios in response to newusers' needs.

This disclosure describes methods and systems for controlling thefunctionality of a network of one or more lighting devices.

SUMMARY

In various scenarios, a lighting device control system for controllingone or more lighting devices is disclosed. The lighting device controlsystem may include a first lighting device comprising an opticalradiation source, and a portable electronic device. The portableelectronic device may include a processor, a user interface, and amemory device. The memory device may include programming instructionsfor a lighting system control application that is configured to causethe processor of the portable electronic device to: cause the userinterface to output a plurality of candidate optical characteristics forthe optical radiation source and, for at least some of the candidateoptical characteristics, a user-selectable setting; receive, via theuser interface, a selection of at least one of the candidate opticalcharacteristics and an associated setting for each of the selectedoptical characteristics; generate a light operation request as datacomprising each of the one or more selected optical characteristics andits associated setting and an account identifier; and transmit the lightoperation request to the first lighting device.

Optionally, the lighting system control application may also cause theprocessor of the portable electronic device to: cause the user interfaceto output, for each user selectable setting, an indicia of whether anaccount associated with the portable electronic device has unlocked anability to adjust that user-selectable setting; receive, via the userinterface, a request to unlock a user-selectable setting for which theability to adjust is locked; transmit a command to charge the account anamount that is assigned to the user-selectable setting; upon receipt ofverification that the account has been charged the amount, unlock theability to adjust the user-selectable setting; receive, via the userinterface, a value for the user-selectable setting; generate the lightoperation request to include the value for the user-selectable setting.

In certain embodiments, the lighting system control application isfurther configured to cause the processor of the portable electronicdevice to determine whether the first lighting device is in a proximatecommunication range of the portable electronic device, and transmit thelight operation request to the first lighting device only in response todetermining that the first lighting device is in a proximatecommunication range of the portable electronic device.

In some embodiments, the first lighting device may include a fixturecontroller. The fixture controller may include a processor and memorydevice, wherein the memory device contains programming instructionsconfigured to cause the first lighting device to receive the lightoperation request from the portable electronic device, determine whetherthe portable electronic device is authorized to cause the opticalradiation source to implement the light operation request, and inresponse to determining that the portable electronic device isauthorized to submit the light operation request, cause the opticalradiation source to emit light that exhibits the settings for each ofthe selected optical characteristics. Optionally, the plurality ofcandidate optical characteristics may include a scene in which settingsfor one or more optical characteristics of emitted light change overtime, and the instructions to cause the optical radiation source to emitlight comprise instructions to initiate or maintain the opticalradiation source in an on condition and then cause the settings for theselected optical characteristics of the emitted light to change overtime according to the scene.

Additionally and/or alternatively, the lighting device control systemmay conclude a second lighting device that also has an optical radiationsource and a fixture controller. The light operation request may includeone or more settings for one or more optical characteristics of lightthat the second lighting device may emit, and the programminginstructions of the fixture controller of the first lighting device mayinclude instructions to, in response to determining that the portableelectronic device is authorized to submit the light operation request,transmit one or more settings from the light operation request to thesecond lighting device for the fixture controller of the second lightingdevice to use in operation of its optical radiation source. In someembodiments, the one or more settings for the second lighting device maybe different from the one or more settings for the first lightingdevice.

Optionally, the instructions to determine whether the portableelectronic device is authorized to initiate the light operation requestmay include instructions to transmit the account identifier and datafrom the light operation request to a remote server, and receive aconfirmation that the portable electronic device is authorized to submitthe light operation request from the remote server.

Optionally, the instructions to determine whether the portableelectronic device is authorized to initiate the light operation requestmay include instructions to determine whether the light operationrequest includes a valid unlock token.

In one or more embodiments, the light operation request may include atime, wherein the time comprises a numeric time or a duration.Furthermore, the instructions to cause the optical radiation source toemit light comprise instructions to initiate or maintain the opticalradiation source in an on condition or a requested condition for a firsttime period, and then switch the optical radiation source to an offcondition or a default condition when the first time period expires.Optionally, first lighting device further includes a fixture controllercomprising a processor and memory device, wherein the memory devicecontains programming instructions configured to cause the first lightingdevice to: receive, from the portable electronic device, before thefirst time period has expired, a request to extend the first time periodto an extended time; determine whether the portable electronic device isauthorized to extend the first time period to the extended time; and inresponse to determining that the portable electronic device isauthorized to extend the first time period to the extended time, causethe optical radiation source to continue to emit light that exhibits thesettings for each of the selected optical characteristics through theextended time.

In some embodiments, the plurality of candidate optical characteristicsmay include one or more of the following: a brightness or dimming level,color temperature, color, D_(uv), beam shape, and beam direction.

In some scenarios, a lighting device control system for controlling oneor more lighting devices is disclosed. The system may include aplurality of lighting devices, each of which comprises an opticalradiation source, and a portable electronic device. The portableelectronic device may include a processor, a user interface, and amemory device containing programming instructions for a lighting systemcontrol application that is configured to cause the processor of theportable electronic device to: cause the user interface to output aplurality of candidate optical characteristics for the optical radiationsources of the plurality of light emitting devices and, for at leastsome of the candidate optical characteristics, a user-selectablesetting, receive, via the user interface, a selection of at least one ofthe candidate optical characteristics and an associated setting for eachof the selected optical characteristics, generate a light operationrequest as data comprising each of the one or more selected opticalcharacteristics and its associated setting and an account identifier,and transmit the light operation request to a gateway controllerassociated with the plurality of lighting devices.

In some embodiments, the lighting system control application may furtherbe configured to cause the processor of the portable electronic deviceto: cause the user interface to output, for each user selectablesetting, an indicia of whether an account associated with the portableelectronic device has unlocked an ability to adjust that user-selectablesetting; receive, via the user interface, a request to unlock auser-selectable setting for which the ability to adjust is locked;transmit a command to charge the account an amount that is assigned tothe user-selectable setting; upon receipt of verification that theaccount has been charged the amount, unlock the ability to adjust theuser-selectable setting; receive, via the user interface, a value forthe user-selectable setting; and generate the light operation request toinclude the value for the user-selectable setting.

In certain embodiments, the lighting system control application isconfigured to cause the processor of the portable electronic device totransmit the light operation request to the first lighting device onlyin response to determining that the first lighting device is in aproximate communication range of the gateway controller. The portabledevice first determines whether the gateway controller is in a proximatecommunication range of the portable electronic device.

In various embodiments, the gateway controller may include a processorand memory device. The gateway controller may be configured to receivethe light operation request from the portable electronic device;determine whether the portable electronic device is authorized to causethe optical radiation source to implement the light operation request;and in response to determining that the portable electronic device isauthorized to submit the light operation request, transmit commands tothe plurality of lighting devices to cause the optical radiation sourcesto emit light that exhibits the settings for each of the selectedoptical characteristics. Optionally, the light operation request alsocomprises a time (e.g., a numeric time or a duration), and the commandsto cause the optical radiation sources to emit light comprise commandsto initiate or maintain the optical radiation sources in an on orrequested condition during a first time period, and then switch theoptical radiation sources to an off or default condition when the firsttime period expires. Additionally and/or alternatively, the gatewaycontroller may receive, from the portable electronic device before thefirst time period has expired, a request to extend the time to anextended time; determine whether the portable electronic device isauthorized to extend the first time period to the extended time; and inresponse to determining that the portable electronic device isauthorized to extend the first time period to the extended time, causethe optical radiation sources to continue to emit light that exhibitsthe settings for each of the selected optical characteristics throughthe extended time.

Optionally, determining, by the gateway controller, whether the portableelectronic device is authorized to initiate the light operation requestmay include transmitting an account identifier associated with theportable electronic device and data from the light operation request toa remote server, and receiving, from the remote server, a confirmationthat the portable electronic device is authorized to submit the lightoperation request. Alternatively, determining, by the gatewaycontroller, whether the portable electronic device is authorized toinitiate the light operation request may include determining whether theportable electronic device is authorized to initiate the light operationrequest comprise instructions to determine whether the light operationrequest includes a valid unlock token.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network of lighting devices, with aproximate mobile electronic device and remote server that are used tocontrol the light emitted by the network of devices.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a lighting device that may be used witha network of lighting devices.

FIG. 3 illustrates example components of a fixture controller of alighting device.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example lighting device control process.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a portable electronic device userinterface that may be used to control the light emitted by one or moreproximate lighting devices.

FIG. 6 illustrates example steps that a portable electronic device maytake when being used to control a lighting device.

FIG. 7 illustrates various hardware components that may be included inone or more electronic devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skillin the art. In this document, when terms such “first” and “second” areused to modify a noun, such use is simply intended to distinguish oneitem from another, and is not intended to require a sequential orderunless specifically stated. As used in this document, the term“comprising” (or “comprises”) means “including (or includes), but notlimited to.”

In this document, the terms “lighting device,” “light fixture,”“luminaire” and “illumination device” are used interchangeably to referto a device that includes a source of optical radiation. Sources ofoptical radiation may include, for example, light emitting diodes(LEDs), light bulbs, ultraviolet light or infrared sources, or othersources of optical radiation. In the embodiments disclosed in thisdocument, the optical radiation emitted by the lighting devices includesvisible light. A lighting device will also include a housing, one ormore electrical components for conveying power from a power supply tothe device's optical radiation source, and optionally control circuitry.

In this document, the terms “communication link” and “communicationpath” mean a wired or wireless path via which a first device sendscommunication signals to and/or receives communication signals from oneor more other devices. Devices are “communicatively connected” if thedevices are able to send and/or receive data via a communication link.“Electronic communication” refers to the transmission of data via one ormore signals between two or more electronic devices, whether through awired or wireless network, and whether directly or indirectly via one ormore intermediary devices.

A “communication interface” of a lighting device or other electronicdevice is a hardware element configured to enable the device to transmitand/or receive data signals from proximate devices and/or acommunication network. Communication interfaces for communicating withproximate devices may include, for example, a short range wirelesscommunication interface such as a transmitter, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) or radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag, or aBluetooth™ or Bluetooth™ Low Energy (BLE) transceiver. Communicationinterfaces for indirectly communicating with proximate or non-proximatedevices via one or more communication networks may include, for example,a wireless network card with wireless network antenna, a data port, orthe like.

In this document, the terms “controller” and “controller device” mean anelectronic device or system of devices configured to command orotherwise manage the operation of one or more other devices. Forexample, a fixture controller is a controller configured to manage theoperation of one or more light fixtures to which the fixture controlleris communicatively linked. A controller will typically include aprocessing device, and it will also include or have access to a memorydevice that contains programming instructions configured to cause thecontroller's processor to manage operation of the connected device ordevices.

In this document, the terms “memory” and “memory device” each refer to anon-transitory device on which computer-readable data, programminginstructions or both are stored. Except where specifically statedotherwise, the terms “memory” and “memory device” are intended toinclude single-device embodiments, embodiments in which multiple memorydevices together or collectively store a set of data or instructions, aswell as one or more individual sectors within such devices.

In this document, the terms “processor” and “processing device” refer toa hardware component of an electronic device (such as a controller) thatis configured to execute programming instructions. Except wherespecifically stated otherwise, the singular term “processor” or“processing device” is intended to include both single processing deviceembodiments and embodiments in which multiple processing devicestogether or collectively perform a process.

A “computing device” or “electronic device” refers to an electronicdevice having a processor, a memory device, and a communicationinterface for communicating with proximate and/or local devices. Thememory will contain or receive programming instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, will cause the electronic device to performone or more operations according to the programming instructions.Examples of electronic devices include personal computers, servers,mainframes, virtual machines, containers, gaming systems, televisions,and portable electronic devices such as smartphones, wearable virtualreality devices, Internet-connected wearables such as smart watches andsmart eyewear, personal digital assistants, tablet computers, laptopcomputers, media players and the like. Electronic devices also mayinclude appliances and other devices that can communicate in anInternet-of-things arrangement, such as smart thermostats, homecontroller devices, voice-activated digital home assistants, connectedlight bulbs and other devices. In a client-server arrangement, theclient device and the server are electronic devices, in which the servercontains instructions and/or data that the client device accesses viaone or more communications links in one or more communications networks.In a virtual machine arrangement, a server may be an electronic device,and each virtual machine or container may also be considered to be anelectronic device. In the discussion below, a client device, serverdevice, virtual machine or container may be referred to simply as a“device” for brevity. Additional elements that may be included inelectronic devices will be discussed below in the context of FIG. 7.

FIG. 1 illustrates a lighting device control system in which any numberof lighting devices 101, 102 are positioned at various locations in anenvironment, such as a wall, ceiling, mast, tower or other supportingstructure in a stadium, arena, concert hall, outdoor amphitheater, parkor other sports or entertainment facility, or a commercial building orother light-enabled facility. Optionally, a group of lighting devices atthe facility may be controlled by a gateway controller 104communicatively coupled to one or more fixture controllers 111, 112 thatare connected to one or more lighting devices 101, 102. If a gatewaycontroller 104 is used, it may be configured to pair with a portableelectronic device 103, receive a light operation request from theportable electronic device 103 and control at least one lighting device101, 102 via the fixture controller 111, 112 according to the lightoperation request. Alternatively or in addition, the portable electronicdevice may send control commands directly to a lighting device's fixturecontroller 111, 112. Each fixture controllers 111, 112 includes variouscomponents of an illumination device's control circuitry.

Each fixture controller, the gateway controller 104 and/or the portableelectronic device 103 may be capable of communicating with acommunication network 105, such as a cellular communication work, anInternet, a mesh network or other wired or wireless communicationnetworks. A remote server 106 also may be communicatively connected tothe communication network 105 so that it can communicate with theportable electronic device, gateway controller 104, and/or fixturecontrollers 111, 112. The remote server 106 may include or be connectedone or more memory devices that collectively store a database 108 ofdata for the light-enabled facility, such as scheduling data, data aboutavailable lighting devices and optional functions, available scenes,costs of various services and other data. The portable electronic device103 may include a memory device containing programming instructions thatare configured to cause the portable electronic device to performvarious functions. In addition or alternatively, the portable electronicdevice 103 may access the remote server 106 via a communication network105 to obtain program instructions that are stored on and/or executed bythe server.

Referring to FIG. 2, an example lighting device 101 will include anoptical radiation source, such as any number of lighting modules thatinclude LEDs, and in various embodiments a number of LED modulessufficient to provide a high intensity LED device. In variousembodiments, a lighting device may include multiple types of LEDmodules. For example, a lighting device may include a first type of LEDmodule 203 having LEDs that are configured to selectably emit whitelight of various color temperatures, along with a second type of LEDmodule 205 having LEDs that are configured to selectably emit light ofvarious colors. The lighting device 101 may include a housing 201 thatholds electrical components such as a fixture controller, a powersource, and wiring and circuitry to supply power and/or control signalsto the LED modules.

A fixture controller may be an external device or an integral devicethat includes various components of an illumination device's controlcircuitry. Example components of a fixture controller 301 are shown inFIG. 3. A fixture controller 301 will include a processor 302 and memorydevice 303 containing programming and/or data that the processor 302uses to selectively control the LED modules 310 or other opticalradiation source of the lighting device. The fixture controller 301 willinclude any number of communication interfaces, such as a Wi-Fi antenna304, a short-range communication or NFC transceiver 305, and/or a wiredcommunication interface 306 containing any number of ports 312 via whichother lighting devices, controllers or other devices may be connected tothe fixture controller's lighting device. For example, a gatewaycontroller 104 may be connected to the fixture controller 301 via any ofthe ports 312.

In this document the term “gateway controller” refers to a centralcontroller device that receives commands from a remote electronic deviceand routes the commands to appropriate lighting device fixturecontrollers in a network of lighting devices. The gateway controller mayinclude a processor and a communications interface that includes arouter or switch with one or more Ethernet ports or optical fiberconnectors configured to receive an Ethernet and/or fiber-optic cable.Other types of cables and connectors may be used, but for purposes ofthis disclosure Ethernet and fiber-optic cables and connectors will beused as examples. This document may use the term “lighting devicecontroller” to refer to a component when the component may be either agateway controller or a fixture controller.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a lighting device 101 may communicate with aproximate portable electronic device 103 via a direct or indirectcommunication link. The lighting device 101 also may communicate withany number of proximate additional lighting devices 102 via a direct orindirect communication link. Each of the lighting devices 101, 102, aswell as the proximate portable electronic device 103, may communicatewith a remote server 106 by any number of communication links. Theremote server 106 may be a cloud-based server that communicates with theother devices via a communication network 105.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of controlling one ormore lighting devices in a system such as that disclosed above. Alighting device's fixture controller, or a gateway controller if used,will detect 401 that a portable electronic device on which a lightingcontrol application is installed is proximate to the lighting device orgateway controller. Devices are “proximate” to each other if they arewithin a communication range of each other on a local area network orusing a short-range communication or NFC communication protocol.

Short-range communication transceivers are devices that directlycommunicate with each other via relatively short distances on the orderof 100 meters or less, or 10 meters or less. Examples of short-rangetransceivers include those that adhere to short-range communicationprotocols such as ZigBee®, Bluetooth®, and Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE)transceivers, and/or via infrared (IR) light transceivers. NFCtransceivers are ultra-short range transceivers that adhere to one ormore standards for radio frequency communications that may be used whentwo devices are in close proximity, and may include hardware elementssuch as loop antennas that exchange information via electromagneticinduction. Protocols for implementation of NFC may comply with industrystandards such as ISO/IEC 18092 or ISO/IEC 18000-3, published by theInternational Standards Organization. Typical ranges for near fieldcommunications are approximately 10 cm or less, although it may be 20 cmor less, 4 cm or less, or other ranges. By receiving a connectionrequest via a short-range communication protocol or NFC protocol, thelighting device or gateway controller will thus detect that the mobileelectronic device is proximate to the lighting device.

This detection 401 may occur, for example, by receiving a connectionrequest from the portable electronic device via a short-rangecommunication or NFC transceiver. Alternatively, the detection 401 mayoccur by receiving a connection request from the portable device via aknown wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network thathas a limited range and to which the lighting device is alsocommunicatively connected. By receiving a connection request from amobile electronic device that is communicatively connected to the sameWLAN to which the lighting device controller is connected, the lightingdevice controller will thus detect that the mobile electronic device isproximate to the lighting device controller.

The lighting device controller will also receive, via the communicationinterface, a light operation request 402 from the portable electronicdevice. The light operation request will be one or more data packetsthat include one or more settings for one or more opticalcharacteristics of light that the optical radiation source of thelighting device or devices that are associated with the lighting devicecontroller and/or other communicatively connected lighting devices mayemit. The one or more optical characteristics comprise may includesettings such as a brightness or dimming level, color temperature,color, D_(uv), beam shape, and/or beam direction of the light emitted bythe optical radiation source. The lighting device controller maydetermine whether the portable electronic device is authorized to causethe lighting device(s) to implement the light operation request 403. Ifthe lighting device controller determines that the portable electronicdevice is authorized to initiate the light operation request, it willcause the optical radiation source(s) to emit light that exhibits theone or more optical characteristics of the light operation request 404.If the lighting device controller determines that the portableelectronic device is not authorized to initiate the light operationrequest, it will not implement the request and thus not activate theoptical radiation source(s) according to the request 405.

To determine whether the portable electronic device is authorized tocause the lighting device controller to implement the light operationrequest 403, the lighting device controller may determine whether theportable electronic device is associated with a valid unlock token forthe light operation request. A valid unlock token is a digitalidentifier that the lighting device knows represents authorization toactivate or change one or more characteristics of emitted light, such asa code or authentication token. The lighting device controller mayreceive the unlock token from the portable electronic device with thelight operation request and compare the token with a set of locally orremotely stored authentication tokens to determine whether the receivedtoken matches a known valid token or adheres to a valid token standard.Alternatively, the lighting device controller may receive an accountidentifier for the portable electronic device, transmit the accountidentifier to a remote server so that the remote server can perform theauthentication, and receive the unlock token from the remote server ofthe remote server determines that the portable electronic device isauthorized to unlock the requested feature of the lighting device.

To obtain an unlock token, the user interface may output indicia ofwhether an account associated with the portable electronic device hasunlocked an ability to adjust the user-selectable setting. The portableelectronic device may receive, via the user interface, a request tounlock a user-selectable setting for which the ability to adjust islocked. If so, the portable electronic device may transmit a command tocharge the account an amount that is assigned to the user-selectablesetting. Upon receipt of verification that the account has been chargedthe amount, the portable electronic device may unlock the ability toadjust the user-selectable setting and generate or receive the unlocktoken.

To cause a lighting device's associated optical radiation source to emitlight that exhibits the optical characteristics values of the lightoperation request 404, the fixture controller of that lighting devicewill implement one or more commands to control operation of the opticalradiation source. Example methods for altering optical characteristicsof LED lights are disclosed in, for example: (i) U.S. Pat. No. 9,188,307to Casper et al., titled “High Intensity LED Illumination Device withAutomated Sensor-Based Control”; (ii) U.S. Pat. No. 9,189,996 to Casperet al., titled “Selectable, Zone-Based Control for High Intensity LEDIllumination System”; (iii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/670,659,filed by Nolan et al. and titled “Lighting Device LED Module withEffects for Color Temperature Tuning and Color Tuning”; and (iv) U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/670,671, filed by Nolan et al. and titled“Lighting Device LED Module with Effects for Beam Spread Tuning and BeamShaping.” The disclosures of each of these patents and patentapplications are fully incorporated into this document by reference. Theoptical characteristics may include a scene, which is a set of datacorresponding to various optical characteristics of the emitted lightfor which the setting values will change over time. If so, then thefixture controller may cause the values of those optical characteristicsof the emitted light to change over time according to the scene.

Optionally, the light operation request may include a time. The time isa data point indicative of a numeric start time, stop time and/or or aduration for activation of one or more characteristics of the opticalradiation source. If so, then when causing the optical radiation sourceto emit light according to the requested characteristics the fixturecontroller will initiate or maintain the optical radiation source in anon condition according to the selected characteristics at a first time,and then when a time out condition occurs 406 corresponding toexpiration (i.e., the off time or the end of the duration), the fixturecontroller will deactivate the optical radiation source and/or theselected characteristics when the time expires 409. Deactivation mayinclude completely turning the light off, or returning the light to adefault setting that does not include all of the selected characteristicvalues of the light operation request. Optionally, the system mayreceive an extension request 407 from the mobile electronic devicebefore the time expires. The extension request will include a new (andlater) stop time or an extension to the duration. If the fixturecontroller determines that the mobile electronic device is authorized toextend the time of operation according to the extension request (usingauthorization procedures such as those described above), the fixturecontroller will continue to activate the optical radiation source 408with the requested characteristic values until the extended timeexpires, at which time the fixture controller will deactivate the lightas described above.

Optionally, a light operation request may include a request to operatenot only the lighting device that includes or is associated with thelighting device controller receives the request, but also one or moreother lighting devices in a system that is communicatively connected tothe lighting device controller that receives the request. For example,the light operation request may include one or more settings for one ormore optical characteristics of light that a second lighting device mayemit. To do this, the lighting operation request may include anidentifier for the second lighting device, such as an address of thesecond lighting device, or it may include a general command such as“apply the light operation request to all connected lighting devices.”If so, the lighting device controller may determine whether the portableelectronic device is also authorized to initiate the light operationrequest for the second lighting device, and if so the lighting devicecontroller will transmit one or more settings from the light operationrequest to the second lighting device for a fixture controller of thesecond lighting device to use in operation of its optical radiationsource. This transmission may occur via a wired or wirelesscommunication link. The requested optical characteristics for the secondlighting device may be the same as or different from those requested forthe first lighting device.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example portable electronic device 501 with userinterface 502. In the example of FIG. 5, the user interface 502 is atouch-sensitive display device. In other embodiments, instead of or inaddition to the display the user interface may include other userinput/output hardware such as a microphone and/or audio speaker, akeyboard or keypad, or another user interface device. The user interface502 may include a fixture selector 503 via which the user may select oneor more lighting devices to control, and a time selector 504 via which auser may enter a time 514 such as a start time, stop time or duration.The user interface 502 also may include any number of lightingcharacteristics selectors 505, 506 via which the user may enter valuesfor one or more user-selectable settings for characteristics of thelight to be emitted by the selected lighting device(s). The system maydisplay various candidate user-selectable settings 516, 517, 545, suchas a data entry field, a list of options or another selector, forcharacteristics that the user is authorized to select. For any settingsthat are locked for the user's account (i.e., not yet unlocked becausethe user is not yet authorized to implement the settings), theuser-selectable settings 516 may be displayed in a non-selectableformat, such as a shield or overlay, or in a greyscale or other formatthat is not actuatable by the user until the user unlocks the setting.The user interface also may include an actuator 521 via which the usermay unlock the setting, such as a purchasing interface by which a usermay purchasing access to the relevant feature.

Optionally, the user interface may include a scene selector 507 viawhich the user may select a scene that includes a set of one or morecharacteristics for one or more lights, in which the setting value forat least some of the characteristic(s) will change over time. Theavailable values 517 may include pre-defined scenes, or the system mayprovide a scene creator user interface via which the user may select thesettings, lighting devices and times that will define a new scene oradjust a pre-defined scene.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process that a portable electronic device mayfollow to initiate a light operation request for one or more proximatelighting devices. The portable electronic device will include a userinterface that outputs various candidate optical characteristics for theoptical radiation source 601. For at least some of the candidate opticalcharacteristics, the user interface will also display user-selectablesettings. As discussed above in FIG. 5, the system also may outputlock/unlock status indicia 602 of whether an account associated withportable device or its user has unlocked the ability to select settingsfor each characteristic. For example, for characteristics that are notlocked, user-selectable settings may be presented in a user-selectableformat, such as a data entry field, list, or other structure.Characteristics for which user-selectable settings that are locked willnot be displayed in a user-selectable format, and may be displayed ingrayscale, in shielded format, or with other indicia showing that theyare locked, or they may not be displayed at all.

For any characteristic that is locked, the user may input (and theportable electronic device may receive via the user interface) an unlockrequest 603. If so, the system may generate and transmit a command tocharge a user's account an amount required to unlock the setting 604.Upon receiving confirmation from the remote server that the account hasbeen charged, the device may unlock 605 the characteristic so that theuser can select the value of that characteristic's setting.

When the portable electronic device receives, via the user interface, aselection of at least one of the candidate optical characteristics and avalue for an associated setting for each selected optical characteristic611, it will generate a or otherwise identify light operation request612 as data comprising each of the one or more selected opticalcharacteristics and its associated setting's value and an accountidentifier. The portable electronic device will then transmit 613 thelight operation request to the first lighting device via an NFC or shortrange communication protocol.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of hardware that may be including in any ofthe electronic devices described above, such as a lighting device,electronic device or controller device. A bus 800 serves as aninformation highway interconnecting the other illustrated components ofthe hardware. The bus may be a physical connection between elements ofthe system, or a wired or wireless communication system via whichvarious elements of the system share data. Processor 805 is a processingdevice of the system performing calculations and logic operationsrequired to execute a program. Processor 805, alone or in conjunctionwith one or more of the other elements disclosed in FIG. 7, is anexample of a processing device, computing device or processor as suchterms are used within this disclosure. The processing device may be aphysical processing device, a virtual device contained within anotherprocessing device, or a container included within a processing device.If the electronic device is a lighting device, processor 805 may be acomponent of a fixture controller if the electronic device is a lightingdevice, and the device would also include a power supply and opticalradiation source as discussed above.

A memory device 810 is a hardware element or segment of a hardwareelement on which programming instructions, data, or both may be stored.An optional display interface 830 may permit information to be displayedon the display 835 in audio, visual, graphic or alphanumeric format.Communication with external devices, such as a printing device, mayoccur using various communication interfaces 840, such as acommunication port, antenna, or near-field or short-range transceiver. Acommunication interface 840 may be communicatively connected to acommunication network, such as the Internet or an intranet.

The hardware may also include a user input interface 845 which allowsfor receipt of data from input devices such as a keyboard or keypad 850,or other input device 855 such as a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, aremote control, a pointing device, a video input device and/or amicrophone. Data also may be received from an image capturing device 820such as a digital camera or video camera. A positional sensor 860 and/ormotion sensor 870 may be included to detect position and movement of thedevice. Examples of motion sensors 870 include gyroscopes oraccelerometers. Examples of positional sensors 860 such as a globalpositioning system (GPS) sensor device that receives positional datafrom an external GPS network.

The features and functions described above, as well as alternatives, maybe combined into many other different systems or applications. Variousalternatives, modifications, variations or improvements may be made bythose skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to beencompassed by the disclosed embodiments.

1. A lighting device control system for controlling one or more lightingdevices, the system comprising: a first lighting device comprising anoptical radiation source; and a portable electronic device, wherein theportable electronic device comprises: a processor, a user interface, anda memory device containing programming instructions for a lightingsystem control application that is configured to cause the processor ofthe portable electronic device to: cause the user interface to output aplurality of candidate optical characteristics for the optical radiationsource and, for at least some of the candidate optical characteristics,a user-selectable setting, receive, via the user interface, a selectionof at least one of the candidate optical characteristics and anassociated setting for each of the selected optical characteristics,generate a light operation request as data comprising each of the one ormore selected optical characteristics and its associated setting and anaccount identifier, and transmit the light operation request to thefirst lighting device.
 2. The lighting device control system of claim 2,wherein the lighting system control application is further configured tocause the processor of the portable electronic device to: cause the userinterface to output, for each user selectable setting, an indicia ofwhether an account associated with the portable electronic device hasunlocked an ability to adjust that user-selectable setting; receive, viathe user interface, a request to unlock a user-selectable setting forwhich the ability to adjust is locked; transmit a command to charge theaccount an amount that is assigned to the user-selectable setting; uponreceipt of verification that the account has been charged the amount,unlock the ability to adjust the user-selectable setting; receive, viathe user interface, a value for the user-selectable setting; generatethe light operation request to include the value for the user-selectablesetting.
 3. The lighting device control system of claim 2, wherein thelighting system control application is further configured to cause theprocessor of the portable electronic device to: determine whether thefirst lighting device is in a proximate communication range of theportable electronic device; and transmit the light operation request tothe first lighting device only in response to determining that the firstlighting device is in a proximate communication range of the portableelectronic device.
 4. The lighting device control system of claim 2,wherein the first lighting device further comprises a fixture controllercomprising a processor and memory device, wherein the memory devicecontains programming instructions configured to cause the first lightingdevice to: receive the light operation request from the portableelectronic device; determine whether the portable electronic device isauthorized to cause the optical radiation source to implement the lightoperation request; and in response to determining that the portableelectronic device is authorized to submit the light operation request,cause the optical radiation source to emit light that exhibits thesettings for each of the selected optical characteristics.
 5. Thelighting device control system of claim 4, wherein: the plurality ofcandidate optical characteristics comprise a scene in which settings forone or more optical characteristics of emitted light change over time;and the instructions to cause the optical radiation source to emit lightcomprise instructions to initiate or maintain the optical radiationsource in an on condition and then cause the settings for the selectedoptical characteristics of the emitted light to change over timeaccording to the scene.
 6. The lighting device control system of claim4, further comprising a second lighting device that also has an opticalradiation source and a fixture controller, and wherein: the lightoperation request also comprises one or more settings for one or moreoptical characteristics of light that the second lighting device mayemit; and the programming instructions of the fixture controller of thefirst lighting device also comprise instructions to, in response todetermining that the portable electronic device is authorized to submitthe light operation request, transmit one or more settings from thelight operation request to the second lighting device for the fixturecontroller of the second lighting device to use in operation of itsoptical radiation source.
 7. The lighting device control system of claim6, wherein the one or more settings for the second lighting device aredifferent from the one or more settings for the first lighting device.8. The lighting device control system of claim 4, wherein theinstructions to determine whether the portable electronic device isauthorized to initiate the light operation request comprise instructionsto: transmit the account identifier and data from the light operationrequest to a remote server; and receive, from the remote server, aconfirmation that the portable electronic device is authorized to submitthe light operation request.
 9. The lighting device control system ofclaim 4, wherein the instructions to determine whether the portableelectronic device is authorized to initiate the light operation requestcomprise instructions to determine whether the light operation requestincludes a valid unlock token.
 10. The lighting device control system ofclaim 2, wherein: the light operation request also comprises a time,wherein the time comprises a numeric time or a duration; and theinstructions to cause the optical radiation source to emit lightcomprise instructions to initiate or maintain the optical radiationsource in an on condition or a requested condition for a first timeperiod, and then switch the optical radiation source to an off conditionor a default condition when the first time period expires.
 11. Thelighting device control system of claim 10, wherein the first lightingdevice further comprises a fixture controller comprising a processor andmemory device, wherein the memory device contains programminginstructions configured to cause the first lighting device to: receive,from the portable electronic device, before the first time period hasexpired, a request to extend the first time period to an extended time;determine whether the portable electronic device is authorized to extendthe first time period to the extended time; and in response todetermining that the portable electronic device is authorized to extendthe first time period to the extended time, cause the optical radiationsource to continue to emit light that exhibits the settings for each ofthe selected optical characteristics through the extended time.
 12. Thelighting device control system of claim 2, wherein the plurality ofcandidate optical characteristics comprise: a brightness or dimminglevel; color temperature; color; D_(uv); beam shape; or beam direction.13. A lighting device control system for controlling one or morelighting devices, the system comprising: a plurality of lightingdevices, each of which comprises an optical radiation source; and aportable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic devicecomprises: a processor, a user interface, and a memory device containingprogramming instructions for a lighting system control application thatis configured to cause the processor of the portable electronic deviceto: cause the user interface to output a plurality of candidate opticalcharacteristics for the optical radiation sources of the plurality oflight emitting devices and, for at least some of the candidate opticalcharacteristics, a user-selectable setting, receive, via the userinterface, a selection of at least one of the candidate opticalcharacteristics and an associated setting for each of the selectedoptical characteristics, generate a light operation request as datacomprising each of the one or more selected optical characteristics andits associated setting and an account identifier, and transmit the lightoperation request to a gateway controller associated with the pluralityof lighting devices.
 14. The lighting device control system of claim 13,wherein the lighting system control application is further configured tocause the processor of the portable electronic device to: cause the userinterface to output, for each user selectable setting, an indicia ofwhether an account associated with the portable electronic device hasunlocked an ability to adjust that user-selectable setting; receive, viathe user interface, a request to unlock a user-selectable setting forwhich the ability to adjust is locked; transmit a command to charge theaccount an amount that is assigned to the user-selectable setting; uponreceipt of verification that the account has been charged the amount,unlock the ability to adjust the user-selectable setting; receive, viathe user interface, a value for the user-selectable setting; andgenerate the light operation request to include the value for theuser-selectable setting.
 15. The lighting device control system of claim13, wherein the lighting system control application is furtherconfigured to cause the processor of the portable electronic device to:determine whether the gateway controller is in a proximate communicationrange of the portable electronic device; and transmit the lightoperation request to the first lighting device only in response todetermining that the first lighting device is in a proximatecommunication range of the gateway controller.
 16. The lighting devicecontrol system of claim 13, wherein the gateway controller comprises aprocessor and memory device, wherein the memory device containsprogramming instructions configured to cause the gateway controller to:receive the light operation request from the portable electronic device;determine whether the portable electronic device is authorized to causethe optical radiation source to implement the light operation request;and in response to determining that the portable electronic device isauthorized to submit the light operation request, transmit commands tothe plurality of lighting devices to cause the optical radiation sourcesto emit light that exhibits the settings for each of the selectedoptical characteristics.
 17. The lighting device control system of claim16, wherein: the light operation request also comprises a time, whereinthe time comprises a numeric time or a duration; and the commands tocause the optical radiation sources to emit light comprise commands toinitiate or maintain the optical radiation sources in an on or requestedcondition during a first time period, and then switch the opticalradiation sources to an off or default condition when the first timeperiod expires.
 18. The lighting device control system of claim 17,further comprising additional programming instructions configured tocause the gateway controller to: receive, from the portable electronicdevice before the first time period has expired, a request to extend thetime to an extended time; determine whether the portable electronicdevice is authorized to extend the first time period to the extendedtime; and in response to determining that the portable electronic deviceis authorized to extend the first time period to the extended time,cause the optical radiation sources to continue to emit light thatexhibits the settings for each of the selected optical characteristicsthrough the extended time.
 19. The lighting device control system ofclaim 16, wherein: the plurality of candidate optical characteristicscomprise a scene in which settings for one or more opticalcharacteristics of emitted light change over time; and the command tocause the optical radiation sources to emit light comprise instructionsto initiate or maintain the optical radiation sources in an on conditionand then cause the settings for the selected optical characteristics ofthe emitted light to change over time according to the scene.
 20. Thelighting device control system of claim 16, wherein the plurality ofcandidate optical characteristics comprise: a brightness or dimminglevel; color temperature; color; D_(uv); beam shape; or beam direction.21. The lighting device control system of claim 16, wherein theinstructions to cause the gateway controller to determine whether theportable electronic device is authorized to initiate the light operationrequest comprise instructions to: transmit an account identifierassociated with the portable electronic device and data from the lightoperation request to a remote server; and receive, from the remoteserver, a confirmation that the portable electronic device is authorizedto submit the light operation request.
 22. The lighting device controlsystem of claim 16, wherein the instructions to cause the gatewaycontroller to determine whether the portable electronic device isauthorized to initiate the light operation request comprise instructionsto determine whether the light operation request includes a valid unlocktoken.